Where do you live?
R: I currently reside in Louisiana. So I guess you could say I rep the “Dirty South”, lol. I am a Plant Engineer, but on my spare time I enjoy vlogging.

Why did you go natural?
R: I am very versatile when it comes to my hair, but my styling options ran out. I found myself in a hair rut. I would relax one week, put in a phony pony the next week, wig it the third and fourth week and repeat. Aside from that, I always wanted long hair, and for some reason my hair never grew past a certain length anyway.

I grew bored of my routine and desperately wanted to try something different. Most of my styles, aside from my relaxer wraps, consisted of curly doo’s. I always leaned towards adding volume and LOVED big hair. The only alternative I’d never ventured into yet was natural hair. My family was very supportive of my decision and with the help of the world wide web, I was able to find answers to any and every question about going natural. I was due to relax after vacation in May but skipped my appointment and never looked back.

I transitioned from May to September 2010 using wigs and phony ponys. Everything was going fine until I got to my second month and realized I was not going to be patient enough to transition for a year, as I had originally planned. I developed a case of hand in hair disease early on (lol) and after the third month, I couldn’t take the suspense anymore. I woke up one morning and decided today is the day. I did my own big chop on September 11th. Afterward, I felt a sigh of relief, having no more anticipation, and was happy with the results immediately.

In what ways (if any) has going natural affected you?
R: I always adored my late father’s hair. It was usually cut in a low ceasar but was curly and jet black and he never dyed it. When I big chopped I looked in the mirror and saw my fathers hair! I couldn’t (and still can’t) stop staring at it and touching it. I hear alot of new naturals say they wish they would have cut it sooner, but I guess I’m opposite. I’m glad that I waited because now I can really appreciate what God gave me and have the tools and knowledge to take care of it properly.

My going natural has also affected those around me. My supervisor decided she was done with relaxers after seeing my 2 inch fro. She said she always wanted to go natural, and big chopped 7 weeks later. I catch my mom and sister smiling at my hair and my hubby loves to play in it. I haven’t gotten any negative feed back thankfully. For the most part I get compliments and sometimes questions from others looking to big chop themselves.

How would you describe your hair?
R: My hair texture is coarse and tightly coiled. My hair grows in curls like tiny corkscrews. My curls down the middle of my head are a little looser than the sides. But for the most part if I had to categorize it in a box, I’d say it was 4a. I honestly haven’t had any bad hair days or problems with my hair, except for overcoming initial dryness through deep conditioning. I detangle using my fingers only, as I condition, and at 7 months post relaxer, it still works for me.

What mistakes have you made with your hair that you’ve learned from?
R: So far I have only made one mistake and that was using a mayonnaise product I used when I was relaxed and not reading ingredients. It left my hair hard and dry with frizzy ends. I had to redust my ends because of a simple mistake that could have been prevented if I would have just read the label.

What’s the best/most effective thing you do for your hair?
R: Leave it alone. Less is more with my hair when it comes to products and manipulation. However, my biggest issue is touching and playing with my coils, knowing that’s how I cause fairy knots, lol. It’s still so new to me. I’m not very fond of protective styles because I always want my hair out, but I understand why they are sometimes necessary, mainly for people like me.

Is there a blog/web page where we can find you?
R: You can find me on Youtube.

Anything else you want to add?
R: Don’t get consumed by the define your curl madness. If your hair naturally grows curly, guess what, it’s already Godly defined. Just focus on techniques and products that will maintain the health of your hair type and everything else will fall into place.

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You look like Chrissy Lampkin. Very Gorgeous!! I love your hair . I’m transitioning and and i started to do Bantu knots in my hair to give it the big curly affect. last night I decided i would big chop in a couple weeks!! I’m so excited!! good luck with your journey!!!